


Libertango (I've Seen That Face Before)

by CobaltStargazer



Category: Criminal Minds, House of Cards (US TV)
Genre: Angst, Gen, I'm Going to Hell, Mistaken Identity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-29
Updated: 2014-07-29
Packaged: 2018-02-10 22:13:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2042154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CobaltStargazer/pseuds/CobaltStargazer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A face in a crowd leaves Alex stunned.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Libertango (I've Seen That Face Before)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [pants2match](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pants2match/gifts).



> This is what happens when I listen to Grace Jones after midnight. I'm really very sorry.

Alex returned to teaching once she and James came back to Washington, and the new crop of freshmen welcomed her back, having signed up for her class specifically because she'd come back from her sabbatical. Even though she was no long with the Bureau, she was still qualified to prepare others for that particular career path. She had a vague plan in mind to help the promising ones with recommendations. They could find out for themselves how grueling the work was on their own.

She was crossing the quad one brisk afternoon, her thoughts directed towards her next lecture, when she spotted a familiar face in the middle of the throng of students and staff making their way either to class or elsewhere. The brunette stopped in her tracks, and someone plowed into her from behind. She stepped out of the way as he shot her a dirty look over his shoulder, craned her neck as she scanned the faces of the people headed in her direction. It was impossible. _Impossible_. But then she saw the face again, and it might have been impossible, but it was happening all the same. She'd had this dream, this _nightmare_ , before. Alex pinched herself surreptitiously. She didn't wake up.

"Erin?" Her voice was a squeak, and she cleared her throat and tried again. "Erin!"

Catherine heard the voice in her vicinity, and she saw a dark-haired woman waving at her. She raised an eyebrow, looked behind her, saw no one paying attention to the call. Still, she re-directed her steps in her direction. If the woman was a constituent, it would be poor form to ignore an overt greeting. 

"I'm sorry, I'm afraid you've mistaken me for someone else," she said once she was in range. "Is there something I can help you with?"

And of course it wasn't Erin at all, not her Erin. Alex had been to the funeral, seen them bury the woman. Up close, the resemblance was so strong that she wanted to cry. Or be sick to her stomach. But there was no recognition in those blue-green eyes, and so _of course_ it was impossible. She didn't know why she'd thought it wasn't, even for a second.

"No," she said faintly, and again she had to cough and raise her voice so she could be heard amid the assorted chatter around them. "No," she repeated, more strongly. "I thought...I thought you were someone I knew. You look exactly like her. I was wondering if she had a twin I didn't know about."

"Ah," Catherine said with a polite smile. The explanation probably ruled out the brunette being some sort of stalker, but as a public figure you could never be too careful about who you allowed to get close to you. "I've been told I have one of those familiar faces. It helps when you're running for office, makes you relatable to the voting public." Around them, people ebbed and flowed, a stream of humanity. Catherine had been on her way to speak to the dean of Georgetown's law school about internships in her office for qualified students. It paid to recruit the best and brightest early, to see if they had potential. 

The linguist had recovered somewhat, and she made herself take a breath. She had snapped back to reality now. This was not Erin. It was an _incredible_ simulation, especially if politics was her line of work, but...no. "Well, I'm sorry if I disrupted your routine, Ms..."

"Durant. It's nice to make your acquaintance, Ms..."

"It's Doctor, actually," Alex said, and that restored her completely to normalcy. She resisted the urge to recite the definition of the word 'nice' that she'd used when she returned to the BAU. Considering the circumstances, that would have been eerie.

Catherine's smile warmed a notch. She respected dedication, and a doctorate was nothing to sneeze at. "Well, I was on my way to an appointment, so if you'll excuse me."

"Of course," Alex murmured, and she stepped out of the way for the second time to allow the blonde to get past her. Before the other woman disappeared into the crowd, the brunette turned and had one last look. An expression she couldn't have defined if she'd been asked to put a name to it crossed her face, and then vanished. Call it nostalgia. Hell, call it old heartbreak. It would pass.

It always did.


End file.
